“Hey, pumpkin.”
“Did you go to bed last night?” Maggie’s brown eyes stretched wide.
“Nope. Working.” He let one of her ringlets twine itself around his finger.
“Can I see?” Maggie asked eagerly. She was sitting on the porch swing he’d had installed last Mother’s Day. From the corner of his eye, Nick saw Maggie move. With the tiniest movement of her body Maggie had managed to put the swing into motion. It was the first time he’d seen her extend such an effort. Excitement filled him, but he kept his cool.
“Uncle Nick, did you get something working?” Maggie pressed.
“Not yet. It won’t do what I want.”
“It will. You can build anything. Remember that robot you made at Christmas? I love your inventions.” Maggie’s smile had a child’s blithe confidence of a world where good always triumphed. If she could see the good in things, Nick felt challenged to rid himself of his feelings of defeat
“Grandma says you’re taking me to see Shay today.”
“What do you think of that?” he asked, watching her face.
Maggie shrugged. “Is she a doctor like Aunty Jaclyn?”
“No. She works at the same clinic, but Shay’s a physiotherapist. She helps people use their muscles,” Nick explained.
“Grandma says she’s going to help me walk again.” Maggie’s voice trembled slightly.
“Would you like that?” He held his breath waiting for her response.
“Yes!” Her eyes glittered with excitement. “Staying with Grandma is nice, but I want to go to school like other kids do.”
“It’s going to take a lot of hard work, Mags, and it might hurt,” he warned.
“It hurts now,” Maggie said, fear in her eyes.
“Once your muscles get used to working, I don’t think it will hurt so much anymore. We can ask Shay about that. Okay?” Nick waited for her nod, satisfied that at least she was willing to try, even if she didn’t yet know what was to come. “Well, I’d better shower and get changed. Are you okay here for now?”
Maggie nodded. Then, with the slightest stretch she again touched her toe against the floor and pushed. A hiss of pain escaped her lips, but as the swing moved she grinned. “I prayed and asked God to help me to walk again.
“Good for you.” Nick stemmed the urge to tell her not to try too hard. Because according to Shay, that was exactly what Maggie would have to do in the coming months.
She seemed up for it. But was he?
You have to be. This is no different from when Dad walked out and left Mom with five kids to feed.
As the eldest, Nick had taken very seriously the responsibility of making sure his family was okay. Just as he had back then, he would now put aside his own plans for the good of the family.
He’d ignored his counselor’s advice to get his engineering degree because football was in his heart and a career with the pigskin was the quickest way to give his family all the things his father hadn’t. And he’d never regretted that choice. But now that playing football was over, Nick felt he’d lost the one thing that had provided him with a sense of security and made him feel competent in his caregiver role. He needed the coaching job so he’d be able to confront his father in his mind and say, “See, even though I’m out of the game, I’m still not like you. I’m not walking away from my family.”
Like his father cared. He’d written them all out of his life.
“I need that job, God,” Nick whispered, self-conscious about his prayer. “But I want Maggie walking more. Can You make both of them happen?”
As prayers went, it wasn’t stellar. And Nick didn’t hear a heavenly response inside or outside his head. He’d have to check in with God again later. Right now it was time to take Maggie to Shay’s office for her first therapy session.
* * *
“Maggie, do you want to walk again?”
Shay crouched in front of the little girl, blocking her view of Nick watching from the sidelines.
“Yes.”
“Do you want it enough to keep trying when Uncle Nick asks you to, even though it hurts?” She saw fear creep into Maggie’s big round eyes and laid a reassuring hand on the child’s thin arm.
“I—I think so,” came the whispered response.
Shay lifted one eyebrow.
“I want to walk.” Maggie’s chin jutted out. “I am going to walk.”
“Atta girl.” Shay hugged her, loving the spirit she saw in the child’s brown eyes. “Now that we’ve stretched, let’s see how your legs feel about walking.” She ignored Nick’s gasp and eased Maggie into a standing position. She carefully guided one foot forward, ensuring Maggie had a hold of the rails on each side of her.
“Ow!” Maggie cried out.
Shay sensed more than saw Nick jerk upright.
“I know it hurts, honey. Your legs are mad. You haven’t used them for a long time and they’ve gotten lazy. They like having Uncle Nick and Grandma carry you around.” Shay kept working as she spoke. “You lazy legs! You’ve been on a long holiday, but your vacation is over now. It’s time for you to get to work.”
A couple of minutes were all Maggie could bear upright, but that was okay. They’d taken the first step, literally. Shay helped her lie down on a floor mat then massaged her muscles until they were relaxed.
“See over there, Maggie?” She pointed to the corner of the room. “There’s a video camera there. It took pictures of you when you walked today. Each time you come here we’re going to take more pictures. Then, in a little while, you’ll be able to see how the exercises are helping. Are you ready to do more now?”
Maggie frowned. “I guess so.”
“Good.” Shay motioned Nick over so he could watch and repeat each stretching move she made. When Maggie winced and attempted to pull away, Shay reassured her, keeping her distracted with a silly game for each exercise. When Nick didn’t use enough force, Shay laid her hands on top of his and guided his movements. The contact gave her a nervous quiver in the pit of her stomach. She wished his touch didn’t make her want to jerk away from him.
When would she be able to move on from those memories?
“Good job,” Shay praised after an hour had passed. She grinned at Nick. “And you, too.”
“Are we finished now?” Maggie’s red face shone with perspiration. “’Cause I’m tired.”
“It is time for a break. You worked very hard, honey. I’m so proud of you.” Shay hugged the little girl.
“Uncle Nick worked hard, too,” Maggie said. “Aren’t you going to hug him?”
“I think Uncle Nick’s too big for hugs,” Shay said, nonplussed by the child’s comment.
“Nobody’s ever too big for a hug. That’s what Grandma says.” Maggie waited.
Uncomfortable, already way too aware of Nick, Shay had little choice but to place her arms around his waist and hug him. She pulled away quickly as panic knotted her insides.
“Shortest hug in history,” Nick complained. His teasing grin made her blush.
Shay swallowed hard and admitted the hard truth